


I Love You, Rose Tyler

by badxwolfxrising



Series: 31 Days of Ficmas 2019 [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: 31 Days of Ficmas, Babyfic, Chestnuts, Cider, F/M, Family Drama, Holidays, Love, Marriage Proposal, Naughty or NIce - Freeform, New Year's Eve, Romance, Tumblr: doctorroseprompts, tentoo x rose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22015693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badxwolfxrising/pseuds/badxwolfxrising
Summary: A New Year's Eve proposal, Tentoo and Rose style. Sequel to The White Elephant in the Room.
Relationships: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: 31 Days of Ficmas 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584661
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36
Collections: 31 Days of Ficmas 2019





	I Love You, Rose Tyler

**Author's Note:**

> For doctorroseprompt's 31 Days of Ficmas, prompts: cider, love, naughty and/or nice, chestnuts. Sequel to The White Elephant in the Room, but can be read as a stand-alone.

Rose glanced over from the vanity where she was applying her eyeliner and watched the Doctor button up his shirt, still grinning like a loon. “You’re gonna need to dial it down a notch, smiley. If you show up to my parent’s New Year’s Eve party actually looking happy to be there, Jackie will know immediately something’s up and our cover will be blown. You know how she is, it’s like she has a sixth sense.”

“I can’t help it,” he said, struggling with his cufflinks. “I just found out I’m gonna be a dad! That’s exciting news, and I’m excited! I have a whole stash of dad jokes I’ve been saving up for just such an occasion.”

She got up from her seat, and gently plucked the cufflinks from his trembling fingers. “I know you’re excited, I am too,” she said patiently, fastening his cuffs for him. When she had finished, she took his hands in her own and placed them over her abdomen. “But you know the second mum finds out, this will no longer be just our baby, it’ll be her first grandchild and she’s gonna want to tell the whole world about it. I want this to be just ours, just for a little while longer. Before a million and one well-intentioned questions and probing tabloid covers. Okay?”

He kissed her forehead. “You’ve got a point. I’m not ready to go bassinet shopping with Jackie Tyler yet. None of my How To Be A Human trainings have covered that and I don’t think I’m currently prepared. Future prospects are also dim when it comes to shopping with your mum, just so I’m clear.”

“Shut up,” she laughed, swatting him playfully. “You should’ve thought about that before you went and seduced me in a closet without protection. You were definitely on the naughty list this year.”

He grabbed her waist, pulling her closer. “I would cross my own timeline in a heartbeat to do it again, no regrets. I’m always on the naughty list anyway, might as well live up to my reputation. Besides, you’re nice enough for both of us, most of the time.”

Just inches apart, it was easy to see the slight shift in Rose’s expression. Despite a practiced stiff upper lip and the cynicism of the years etched on her face, the fear and vulnerability came out in eyes that were so much older than they had any right to be. “Are you sure? Because I know we never really talked about any of this, or about what you and I are. Everything just felt so comfortable...too comfortable, apparently. We probably should’ve had this conversation before I got pregnant, but here we are.”

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans,” he said, shrugging. “Honestly, I wasn’t even sure we would be genetically compatible. There’s never been a human Time Lord Metacrisis before. I guess I sort of took it for granted that I was probably sterile and we’d both been exposed to radiation from the time stream and I never really bothered to confirm. So um, obviously I assumed wrong on that one.”

Rose patted his cheek and smiled. “See, I’m glad to hear you put it that way. It makes you sound like the more irresponsible one in this scenario.”

“Oi!”

Her face gew serious. “I’m only a week late today, but the test I took this morning was definitely positive. It’s just...it’s so early. So many things could still happen, or go wrong. I’m afraid of jinxing it, I guess. I don’t think I knew this was what I wanted until I saw that little plus sign but now I can’t stop thinking about it. Him or Her. Our baby. This time last year I almost froze to death in a forest in a parallel universe’s Russia when the dimension cannon misfired. I thought I’d never see you again. But now it’s about to be 2010, we’re here together...and we’re gonna have a baby. It just feels so surreal.”

“The one adventure he could never have,” he replied, more melancholic than he had any right to be. Whoever he was or turned out to be (he was still figuring all that out), he had the good fortune to be here with Rose, living a life that was mostly free of the burden of being the last of the Time Lords by virtue of being half-human. Still, it made him sad to think of that other part of himself, alone in the TARDIS in another dimension, oblivious that he was no longer the last.

Rose gave a watery little laugh and swiped at her eyes. “Good thing I used the waterproof liner. It’s almost half six, too late and too early to be having a chronological time-based existential crisis.”

“You sound like I’m rubbing off on you,” he chuckled.

“Maybe just a tiny bit,” she said, pinching her fingers.

He pinched his own fingers. “I bet we’ll only be a tiny bit late to the party if we leave right after we shag.”

“Only one way to find out,” Rose replied, tugging him onto their bed.

* * * * *

“Alright, what’s the deal with his nibs tonight?” Jackie said conspiratorially, coming up to Rose at the appetizer table. “He’s acting even stranger than usual and that’s saying something when it comes to himself.”

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes and tried to squash down her panic internally. Part of her had known things would probably going to go this way and her mum would know something was up but she had been hoping she would be able to downplay it. “What does stranger than usual even mean, mum? There’s no such thing as usual with that one, you ought to know that by now.”

“Do you think he’s gonna propose?” Jackie asked, gasping. “Oh my Gosh, I bet he is! That would explain why he’s being all sneaky and secretive.”

Rose tried to maintain a neutral face, though she was shrieking internally. If he gave away their secret... “That must be it, mum. I bet you’re right. But don’t say anything, he’ll probably be upset if he thinks the surprise is spoiled.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t come and ask me and Pete for permission first,” Jackie said, clucking her tongue.

Rose’s eyebrows raised. “He doesn’t need your permission. And he probably knows it would’ve been hard to keep it a secret if he told anyone.”

“Well I know that, but still...woulda been nice if he had asked,” she sulked.

Rose bit her tongue. “This is all just conjecture mum, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I know he’s only half-Time Lord now but it’s about to be a new decade and I dunno...he just feels that kinda stuff a little differently than we do. Maybe. I guess, I don’t know.”

Jackie sniffed. “Suppose you’re right. I better go check on the caterers, there aren’t nearly enough nibbles out right now and the champagne fountain is running low.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Rose mumbled, piling three more bacon-wrapped figs onto her plate, which was already laden with an assortment of cheese, Branston pickle, and tiny mushroom and goat cheese tartlets. Once her mother had sashayed off to the kitchen, she made a beeline across the room to where the Doctor was leaning against the wall, nursing a lime soda and joking animatedly with Jake. When he glanced over and saw her, his eyes lit up.

“There’s my girl,” he said, grinning.

She smiled back, hissing at him through her teeth. “Mum says you’re being weird. Stop being weird. We talked about this.”

The Doctor kept smiling, though it was slightly strained. “Not any more weird than usual...sweetie”

“Right now? You’re both being weird,” Jake interjected helpfully, snatching a bacon-wrapped fig off Rose’s plate. “Is that Branston pickle? I thought you hated that stuff. What else you got there?”

“I’m broadening my culinary horizons,” she replied dryly, slapping away Jake’s hand when he attempted to steal a piece of cheese. “And get your own nibbles, I had to fight for these.”

“I thought we were friends,” Jake pouted.

“Right, I’m just gonna..yeah,” the Doctor said, slipping outside while Jake and Rose quibbled over nibbles.

* * * * *

“You’re gonna freeze out here without a coat,” Jackie said, materializing on the patio beside the Doctor like she’d appeared out of the ether, his coat draped over her arm. “What are you even doing out here by the fire all alone, anyway?”

He frowned, but accepted the offered garment. “Roasting chestnuts on an open fire, thinking. Got a lot on my mind these days. Don’t sneak up on me like that. I’ve only got the one heart anymore and you nearly gave me a heart attack. And I don’t need you mother henning over me, either. The fire pit is warm enough, thanks.”

“Well tough. So long as you’re shacking up with my daughter, you’re gonna have to deal with my mother henning,” she replied, ignoring the protests as she licked her thumb and wiped a smudge of jam off his cheek. “Consider it payback for that time you kidnapped my only daughter and I thought she was dead for an entire year.”

The Doctor threw his hands up in exasperation. “Is anyone ever gonna forgive _me_ for the stuff that _he_ did? Because as much as we are the same person in that I have all his memories, I’m not actually him, you know. I know he messed up, I’m really trying to do better. Don’t I get any credit for that?”

Jackie was unfazed by his sudden outburst. “If I want to keep close tabs on you both it’s only because I’m afraid one day I’ll wake up and you’ll both have swanned off on me. But I want you to know, Doctor...I’m on to you,” she warned, her voice low and threatening.

“What do you mean you’re on to me?” he scoffed, hoping his discomfort didn’t come out in his voice. Surely he hadn’t been _that_ conspicuous?

“I’m on to you both, Doctor. You think I haven’t noticed that you and Rose have been avoiding me all night? I couldn’t figure it out until I confronted her by the appetizers and saw she had Branston pickle on her plate. It all made sense then,” Jackie said with all the confidence of a seasoned detective.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think it makes sense at all. What does Rose eating Branston pickle have to do with the price of tea in Alpha Centauri?” he replied, confused.

“Rose hates Branston pickle, always has since she was a child. Me too, to be honest, although my dad loved it. But you want to know the weird thing, Doctor? It was all I craved when I was pregnant with Rose and Tony,” Jackie said, fixing him with a laser-precise stare. “Branston pickle and cheese sandwiches, Branston pickle and cheese with crackers. Branston pickle and you two have both been acting squirrely and avoiding me tonight. Now maybe it’s just coincidence, but I don’t think it is. Am I wrong?”

“Ah,” he said, pressing his hands against his face and dragging them down his cheeks, stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Did he keep his promise to Rose and try to invent some other excuse to explain her weird cravings and behavior, or did he answer Jackie’s question truthfully? If ever there were a time for a conveniently random wormhole to open up and suck him in, this surely would be it. “I...ummm….well, the thing is…”

Jackie grabbed his arm, her fingers digging in none too gently. “Listen to me Doctor, and listen well. Rose spent a long time looking for you, and it nearly killed her, which nearly killed me. I spent so many sleepless nights wondering if this mission would be her last mission, and then there was the accident last winter and she did almost die. So I just need you to know this...If you hurt my daughter in any way, if you break her heart, if you decide to abandon her to raise a baby alone so you can go find yourself or some such nonsense...I _will_ find you and I _will_ roast your chestnuts over an open fire, and then I’ll use Pete’s molecular redistributor and blast the ashes so far into space that nobody at Torchwood or UNIT or anywhere else will ever be able to find them again. You need to do the right thing here. Do you understand?”

“Yes ma'am,” he said, snatching his arm back. Gently massaging the spot where her fingers had been, he winced. “You know, I’ve been to war before but you angry is still a thousand times more terrifying than any Dalek.”

“As it should be,” Jackie said, her tone softening. “Sorry if i hurt you. I just need to know she’s gonna be okay, that you’re gonna take care of her. Because Lord knows she won’t let me do it anymore. She’s older than I was when I had her, but it was hard. I don’t want her to go through the hardships I had to raising her and it wasn’t even just the money. It was not having her other parent there to support me or her when things got rough. I just worry sometimes, y’know?”

“I think I do, yeah,” he said, reaching into his pocket to find the little velvet box he’d tucked inside there weeks ago. Anxiously, his fingers closed around it, stroking the velvet like a talisman. “I’ve been thinking about asking her for awhile now...you know, to marry me. I’m just...I don’t want her to think I’m only doing it now out of a sense of obligation. I love her, Jackie, like...really, really love her. No matter what happens, whether we get married or not, I promise I’ll take care of her. I promise I'll take care of _them_.”

“You bloody well better,” Jackie replied sternly. “And we better get inside before we miss the toast, it’s nearly midnight.”

“So it is,” he said, swallowing his nerves. “Please don’t say anything to Rose...she wanted this to stay between us for now, she’ll be upset if she thinks I told you.”

“Told me what?” Jackie asked innocently.

The Doctor sighed, relieved. “You know, I don’t think I actually would mind so much having you as a mother-in-law.”

Jackie gave him an appraising look that turned into a faint smile. “Suppose I could do a lot worse than you for a son-in-law.”

* * * * *

“There you are!” Rose exclaimed with relief, spotting the Doctor as he emerged from the kitchen. “You disappeared while I was talking to Jake and I didn’t know where you went. It’s almost midnight.”

“I was getting you this,” he said, passing her a champagne flute. “It’s non-alcoholic sparkling cider, didn’t want you to feel left out during the toast. A glass of champagne probably wouldn’t hurt, but this early on it’s better safe than sorry.”

Rising up on her tippy toes, she kissed his cheek and took the glass. “Thanks, that’s very thoughtful of you. Did you want to wait with the others? I think they’re watching the London Orb on the telly in the other room.”

“Actually, I thought maybe we could go out on the patio. I know it’s a bit chilly but there’s a fire going and I bet we could see the fireworks from out there, it’s high enough up. Just you and me?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows hopefully.

“Sounds romantic,” she said, tongue poking between her teeth. “Is that why you were watching Romance Maybe at three in the morning the other day? Trying to get ideas? I don’t think you know how to handle a fancy party where we aren’t actually trying to spy on someone or track down an alien in disguise.”

He smiled sheepishly. “It’s still not as good as Love Actually but I think I got some usable material off it. Honestly I was just feeling a little selfish, I wanted you to myself for a bit. Besides, it’s a bit stuffy in here, don’t you think? So many people. But yes, you’re right...I hate these kinds of parties. Too boring. I’d much rather canoodle with you out by the fire since I’m guessing utility closet seduction is off the table on account of your parents not having a utility closet.”

“Well...if you insist,” Rose said with a theatrical sigh, letting him guide her by the elbow out the French doors. Surprisingly, only a handful of guests had broken off from the main party and were outside smoking on the patio and chatting quietly amongst themselves. Further out by the fire pit it was mostly deserted, and she and the Doctor squeezed together onto the carved wooden loveseat near the fire’s edge, her head falling naturally against into the crook of his shoulder. 

“Watch the sky,” he instructed, taking her glass and setting it on the ground beside the bench. Drawing one arm around her shoulder, he pointed upwards with the other. “In this universe, the Quadrantid meteor shower comes at the end of December. You can only see it in the Northern Hemisphere, and only for a few hours, but it should be peaking...well, right about now.”

Rose’s gaze followed his finger and she inhaled wordlessly as the first of several large meteors, reminiscent of fireballs, streaked across the sky. In spite of all the amazing things she had seen traveling through space with the Doctor, simple marvels such as this still took her breath away and for a moment it almost felt like the way things used to be, before Canary Wharf. “It’s beautiful,” she said, turning her head to look at him and gasping when she saw what he was holding in his outstretched hand.

“I know I can’t bring you to space anymore, at least not right now. But I can bring space to you, and that’s the next best thing,” he said, opening the blue velvet box to reveal the ring nestled inside. An ethereal shade of blue, the vintage rose-cut gem glimmered softly in the dancing light of the fire as he lifted it out of the box. “I know your birthstone is a diamond, but this felt more appropriate. It’s moissanite, a rare blue one. They’re similar to diamonds, but the very first ones were discovered in the craters left by meteors and this one in particular was found at the turn of the century in Norway, not that far from Dårlig Ulv-Stranden. I learned how to cut gems the last time I was stranded on Earth, I couldn’t resist giving this one a rose-cut myself so I hope you’ll forgive me if it’s a little too cliche. May I?”

Wordlessly she nodded, offering him her left hand as he awkwardly got down on one knee. 

“I love you, Rose Tyler, and yes, it does need saying. I feel so incredibly lucky that I not only got the chance to finally tell you so on that bloody beach, but that every day here is a new opportunity for me to show you just how much I really do love you. I know you’re a little bit scared of what the future holds and I am too, but there’s no one else in the universe, let alone this planet, that I’d rather be taking _this_ adventure with,” he said, gently pressing a kiss against her belly for emphasis. “So...Rose Tyler, would you let me be your husband?”

Laughing, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Of course, you git.”

In spite of his shaking hands and her swollen fingers, he managed to get the ring on the first try. As he got to his feet, the sound of cheering erupted from inside the mansion, signaling the beginning of 2010 and what would hopefully prove to be their greatest adventure yet. “Oh bollocks, we’re missing the toast. Ah well...Happy New Year, future wife.”

“Happy New Year, future husband,” she replied, pulling him into a passionate kiss.


End file.
